Future Timeline

This video (shown below) made by PBS states that the state of humanity at the start of exploration will determine the fate of future civilizations. As such, we should start exploration when humanity is at its best (as in not actively declining). We don't want to send some colonists into the void, advance and prosper back home, check in on our distant colony, and find that they've become some Orwellian death cult.

firestar464 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 3:36 pm This video (shown below) made by PBS states that the state of humanity at the start of exploration will determine the fate of future civilizations. As such, we should start exploration when humanity is at its best (as in not actively declining). We don't want to send some colonists into the void, advance and prosper back home, check in on our distant colony, and find that they've become some Orwellian death cult.

Imagine a future were all all non-earthlings (humans) are lobotomized to serve those in Earth/Solar System.

Gives the vibe of Commonwealth of Man in Stellaris

Absent any FTL capabilities, no meaningful interstellar empire can exist. We just have to wave goodbye to the aspiring colonists and hope they keep their shit together and don't turn around and dark forest our asses.

Yes, without FTL, an interstellar empire is not feasible in any meaningful way. No matter how many resources and personnel we have, it simply takes too long to traverse the great distances between star systems. The time and energy expended on such a journey would be better invested into other projects and endeavors. Additionally, without FTL, communication between distant systems would be heavily limited and unreliable. This would prevent any centralized governing body from forming and enforced laws across the empire, thus making its authority meaningless.

firestar464 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 3:36 pm This video (shown below) made by PBS states that the state of humanity at the start of exploration will determine the fate of future civilizations. As such, we should start exploration when humanity is at its best (as in not actively declining). We don't want to send some colonists into the void, advance and prosper back home, check in on our distant colony, and find that they've become some Orwellian death cult.

This is the point of all the Future Timeline stuff! Exploring other planets would be simply amazing and a thrill of itself due to the unknown danger. Sure you can send a space probe to figure out how a planet's composition is but you do not know how things are at the ground level. I think things will take a far different approach and humanity will not be so negative when moon travels or more are a thing. For now there is just too much negativity out there.